Chapter Five

Rielle

I didn’t even wait for the elevator doors to close before yanking my phone out and dialing Elise.

She picked on the first ring.

“I know you’ve got some tea,” she said, practically buzzing through the speaker.

Of course she’d been waiting for this call. My first day at a new job? Elise was practically the president of the “Spill All the Gossip” committee.

I pressed the phone tighter to my ear, stepping out into the lobby.

“You won’t believe who my boss is.”

“Oh God. Don’t tell me he’s old. Or has a combover. Or calls women sweetheart.”

“Worse.” I blew out a shaky breath.

“My new boss is the same man I f*cked at Noir.”

There was a second of stunned silence.

“Shut. Up.”

“Not joking,” I muttered, heading for the building doors like I was trying to outrun the chaos in my head.

“Zayden freaking Wolfe.”

“Wait….Zayden Wolfe? Like Wolf Enterprises Zayden Wolfe?”

“Yes.”

“As in, tall, hot, broody, rumored-to-have-a-thing-for-control Zayden Wolfe?”

“Elise.” I stopped walking, eyes wide as the weight of it hit me again.

“I had a one-night stand with my boss.”

“Girl…” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“You didn’t just walk into a new job. You walked into a whole HBO series.”

Our conversation went on and on until I reached home.

I told her everything, everything except the part where we fucked again.

And that we’d probably do it again.

Because the way my body responded to him? Yeah, that wasn’t a one-time relapse. That was muscle memory.

When the call ended, I tossed my phone onto the couch and headed straight for the kitchen.

Mom had dropped off a plate of jollof rice and grilled chicken earlier.

I opened the foil and smiled to myself. She still treated me like I was sixteen and just got home from school, not a full-grown woman with a job and a complicated sex life.

Microwave beeped.

I stood there barefoot on the cold tiles, arms folded, thinking about the way his hands had held me like he owned me.

Thinking about how wrong it was.

And how badly I still wanted it.

One bite into the rice and I knew.. tomorrow was going to be hell.

Especially if he looked at me like that again.

The ringing from my phone interrupted my thoughts.

Mom.

Of course. Probably calling to check in, ask about my first day and whether I’d eaten.

Classic her.

I answered with a small smile, listening to her warm voice ask about everything like she hadn’t just brought food over hours ago.

After we hung up, I went straight to the shower and then bed.

***********

The next morning came too fast..another day to face him.

I stood in front of my mirror, applying just enough makeup to hide the bags under my eyes and add a little color to my lips. Then I pulled on the dress. It was professional, technically. But it hugged every inch of me like a second skin.

Modest enough not to raise eyebrows. Dangerous enough to make him look twice.

And I wanted him to look.

I wasn’t late this time. I walked into the office, heels silent, head high.

Zayden looked up from his desk, and there it was.

That pause.

That flash of surprise that quickly turned into something darker, hotter. The way his eyes swept down my body, lingering, and the twitch of his jaw as he tried to mask it.

The effort I put in this morning hadn’t been in vain.

He was on a call, deep in conversation, his voice low and commanding, the kind that made even me want to obey. His other hand skimmed through notes, prepping for a meeting that was about to start any moment.

Still, I felt it. The tension. The pull.

If he wasn’t on that damn call…

If he wasn’t seconds away from walking into a boardroom…

I’d be on that desk. Legs around his waist. His mouth on my neck, my shoulder, everywhere. Hands gripping, dragging, claiming.

Because that look?

That look said he wanted to ruin me all over again.

And I’d let him.

“Do you need help with them?” I asked, nodding toward the files in his hand.

He didn’t look at me right away, just let out a slow exhale, eyes still fixed on the papers like they were trying to bite him.

“I’ll call you if I need you,” he said. It wasn’t cold. Not like he usually was.

He sounded… tired. Stressed, maybe. Like whatever meeting he was about to walk into wasn’t just business. 

After an hour and a few minutes, the office line rang. I snatched it up immediately. There was no way I was getting on his bad side today.

“Bring in the HartTech file. And the updated NDA,” came his voice…calm, clipped, unreadable.

“Alright,” I said, trying to keep my tone neutral as I grabbed the folder from my desk, making sure everything was in order.

I made my way to the conference room, heels clicking softly against the marble floor. I braced myself, assuming I’d walk into a room full of senior partners and uptight board members.

But when I pushed the door open, only two men turned toward me.

And one of them…

HOLY SHIT! I almost cursed out.

For a second, I genuinely thought I was hallucinating. My heart stopped. My brain scrambled.

Seated across from Zayden was none other than Dante Hart.

My ex.

The lying, manipulative bastard I cried oceans for. The man who made me question everything I thought I knew about love.

His eyes lit up with recognition. There was a flicker of surprise..quick and fleeting, then it melted into that smirk. That same smug grin I used to find charming. Now, I wanted to slap it clean off his face.

I stood there frozen, file clutched too tightly in my grip. Rage, fear, disgust, heartbreak… it all came crashing in at once.

Zayden’s eyes flicked from me to Dante, sharp as a blade. He noticed. Of course he did.

But I had a job to do.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, walked over, and handed the file to Zayden without a word.

“Rie,” Dante said, voice low, familiar… too familiar.

My spine stiffened at the nickname. That name only a few people were ever allowed to call me. Not here. Not now.

I inhaled sharply. “Mr. Hart,” I said, keeping my voice professional and cold.

Zayden looked between us. “You two know each other?” he asked, his voice casual, but I knew him enough by now to detect the edge beneath it.

Before Dante could open his filthy mouth, I cut in.

“Old friends,” I said quickly.

Dante let out a soft chuckle. “Just friends?”

That smugness. That tone.

My fists clenched by my sides.

“If that’s all, Mr. Wolf,” I said, looking only at him, my voice clipped, “I’ll get back to my desk.”

“Go ahead,” He said..

Without another word, I made my way out of the room without glancing neither of them a second look. 

My heart was racing, my chest burning. All I could think as I walked out was-

Could my life get any more dramatic?

First, I fucked my boss… my emotionally detached, maddeningly hot CEO.

Now?

Now my ex, the manipulative, gaslighting devil I swore I’d never breathe the same air as again! just signed a contract with him.